Seam-ironing machine



G. BOULTON AND G. J. GORSUCH.

SEAM momma MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.2l, 1 918.

1,342,417. I Patented June 8, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

G. BOULTON AND 6.}. GORSUCH. SEAM momma MACHINE.

APPLICATION'FILED NOV.2l, 1918.

1,342,417. PatenfedJuneS, 1920 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE BOULTON AND GEORGE J. GORSUCH, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A cOR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

sEAM-IRONING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters latent. Patented J 8 1920 Application filed November 21, 1918, Serial No. 263,588.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE BOULTON and GEORGE J. GoRsUoH, citizens of the- United States, residing at Rochester, 1n the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements 111 Seam-Ironing Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specificatlon, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in. the several figures.

This invention relates to seam ironing machines and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for opening the upstanding edges of the back seam of a shoe upper and pressing them down flat upon the body of the upper.

Machines of this type have commonly been provided with an idle supporting roll over which the seam is fed and upon vghich it is pressed, the work being commonly fed by a member which rubs or irons the seam. Such machines, besides being more or less ,compli'cated in construction and slow in operation, are liable not to impart to the bent over edges of the seam the desired permanency of set.

According to one feature of the present invention the machine is provided with a power driven work supporting and feeding roll and with a heated ironing block having a curved work contacting face disposed adjacent to the roll for a considerable portion of the periphery thereof. After the seam has been opened and introduced into the space between the ironing block and the roll, the block holds the seam against the roll and at the same time imparts a permanent set to its overturned edges.

The rapidity with which work may be passed through the machine depends in a large measure upon the facility with which provided with a ridge adapted to enter the crease of the seam on the display side of the work. The upstanding edges of the seam are received between the outwardly flared ends of adjustable guide members havmg vertical faces separated by theflthickness of the seam and located at one point immediately adjacent to the thin vertical edge of a wedge-shaped member which forms part of a seam opening plow. This plow is shaped gradually to open and fold over the edges of the seam into the position in which theiy are to be pressed down.

he preferred embodiment of the invention, including other features not heretofore specifically pointed out, will be described in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is an angular view of one side of the machine;

Fig. 2 isan enlarged view of the sea opening I device a gig. 3 is, an end'elevati'on of the machine; an

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views of details of the seam opening device.

Supported within the frame 10 is a longitudinal driving shaft 12 provided with a driving pulley 14 and connectedby means continuously driven in the direction indif cated by the arrow in Fig. 1. Fixed upon 'the frame is a supporting saddle 24 which minates at a point approximately vertically above the center of said roll. The upper surface of this saddle is provided with an upstanding rib 26 designed to enter the crease of the seam upon the display side of the work.

The frame of the machine is of the gooseneck construction provided with an overhanging arm 30 to which is attached a plate 32 havin integralguides 34 and 36 for a rod 38. his rod supports at its lower end a seam opening plow 40 which is provided with a depending arm 42 carrying a wedgeshaped member 44 having a sharp, vertically arranged edge disposed immediately above the rib 26 upon the saddle 24 and constituting a device adapted to be entered between the upstanding edges of a seam. Toward the rear this wedge-shaped member merges into flaring surfaces 46 and 48 which separate the upstanding edges of the seam and lay them-over in the manner shown in Fig. 5 preparatory to the reception of, the .seam between the roll and the ironing device. Adjustable guide members 50 and 52 are held within grooves in the sides of the block at the upper end of the plow member by means of screws passing through elongated holes which permit vertical adjustment of the guide members. These members are preferably slightly resilient, and their lower ends may be laterally adjusted by means of screws56 passing through threaded bosses 58 on the inner sides of said arms and bearing against the arm 42 of the plow. At their lower ends the guide members 50 and 52 are provided with feet 60 having oppositely disposed vertical faces 62 which (see Fig. 2). are arranged beside the verticaledge of the wedge-shaped member 44 and flare outwardly toward the front to provide for the ready reception of the upstanding edges of the seam. Toward the rear these feet 60 taper inwardly and then obliquely upwardly and outwardly so that each foot has an inner face which corresponds to the adjacent faces 46 or 48 of the plow, the sets of faces cotiperating to form two guideways for the free edges of the seam. The upper end of the rod 38 is threaded and the limiting downward position thereof is determined by means of an adjusting nut 64 held in place by a check nut 66. A spring 68 surrounding the rod 38 bears against the guide 34 at one end and an adjustable block 69 at its other end. This block 69 is secured to the rod 38 by means of a set screw and its rear face-is flattened for sliding engagement with the plate. 32 so that it constitutes a guide member to' prevent turning of the rod 38 and its attached plow and guide members.

The forward end of the arm 30 of the frame is provided with a lateral extension 70 to which is pivotally attached a guide block 72. This block isreceived in a slot in a supporting member 76 which carries at its lower end, a presser block 80. A spring 82 hearing against the upper end of the supporting member 7 6 urges the presser block toward the work supporting roll 20,

and the limiting position of this approach is determined by a screw 84 threaded in the block 7 6 and bearing against the upper edge of the block 72. Adjustment of the tension of the spring 82 is secured by means of-a nut 86.

An arm 88 fast to the forward end of a rock shaft 89 extends into a recess in the rear side of the support 76 so that when the shaft is rocked in a'clockwisedirection the support, and with it the ironing block 80, will be moved away from the roll 20. A second arm 91, fast to the rear end of the rock shaft 89 and connected with a treadle (not shown), provides means for rocking the shaft. The movement is guided by plates 90 and 92 adjustably held in position by screws 94, 96. These plates form in effect a guideway' the position of which may be changed by unscrewing one of the screws 94, 96 and screwing in the other. In this way the angular position of the support 76 may be changed to bring the curved surface block into the desired relation tothe feed roll 20.

The presser block 80 is preferably heated by means of an electric cartridge unit 100 received within a bore in said block and supplied with current from wires 102 which are preferably attached to the rear side of the extension 70 of the frame and passed through the overhanging arm of the frame for connection to a rheostat 104, switch 106 and fuses 108 to which current is supplied through a suitable cord 110. By adjustment of the rheostat, which may be of any convenient type, current supplied to the heating unit may be varied and the temperature of the presser block 80 maintained at the desired point. In order to prevent the escape of heat from the presser block 80 to the supporting block 76, the block 80 is attached by means of screws 112 to a plate 134 which is separated from the block 80 by porcelain washers 116, it being understood that the holes through the plate 114 are somewhat larger thanthe screws 112 and that washers of micaor other suitablesubstance are interposed between the heads of of the support 76 of the ironing the work and the'upstanding edges of the'*120 seam are directed between the outwardly flared vertical faces 62 of the guide members. Upon engagement of the end of the seam with the sharp edge of the wedgeshaped member 44, the two sides of the upstanding edges will be readily separated and as the work is pushed through the machine these edges will be flattened out, as shown a in Figs. 4 and 5, so that when the work leaves the seam opening device, it will be beneath the heated presser block 80 and cause the seam to be laid down permanently in the desired fashion. It may be desirable ,when operating upon some klnds of work,

to vary this procedure by. depressing the treadle to hold the ironing block 80 raised position while a seam is being inserted in the seam opening device and then releasing the treadle to permit the spring 82 to bring the block down upon the end of the opened seam. In such case, or in any other in which it is desired to raise the ironing block, such raising may be caused by depressing the treadle to rock the shaft 89.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: 1. In a seam ironing machine, a seam opening device comprising a supporting saddle, a seam opening plow above said' saddle provided with a sharp vertical edge merging into a flared out rear portion, and means for supporting and guiding the upstanding edges of-the seam to the vertical edge of vthe seam opening plow comprising guide members disposed beside the vertical edge of the plow and extending forwardly and rearwardly therefrom.

2. In a seam ironing machine, a seam opening device comprising a seam opening plow provided with a sharp vertical edge and a substantially horizontal'surface con-. nected to the vertical edge by gradually flaring surfaces, and. guide members disposed beside the sharp vertical edge of the plow provided with vertical faces separated from the vertical face of the openingedge of the plow by the thickness of one layer of the work, said verticalfaces being further separated at their receivin ends to facilitate insertion of the upstan ing edges of a seam as it is guided toward the plow, said uide members bein also flared rearwardIy surfaces of the plow to lay open the seam.

3. In a seam ironing machine, a seam opening plow comprising a wedge-shapedvertical plate having a sharp forward edge of substantial length, guide members disposed beside the vertical edge of said plow and provided with vertical faces closely adjacent to the vertical faces of the plow and flared outwardly at the entrance thereto,

and means for laterally adjusting said guide members to compensate fordifferent thicknesses of work.

4. In a seam ironing machine, seam opening means, a power driven work supporting and feeding roll, and a heated ironing block provided with a curved work contacting face disposed adjacent to the work supportto allow the action of the flaring ing roll for a considerable portion of the periphery thereof.

5. In a seam ironing machine, seam opening means, a power driven work supporting and feeding roll, a heated ironing block having a curved face disposed adjacent to the periphery of the work supporting roll,

resilient means urging said block toward the roll, and operator controlled means for separating the block from "the roll.

6. In a seam ironing machine, a 'work means for connecting the block to the supporting means arranged to provide heat insulation therebetween.

7. In a seam ironing machine, a power driven work supporting and feeding roll, work guiding and seam opening means comprising a supporting saddle disposed closely adjacent to the surface of said roll, a co-acting plow disposed adjacent to the flared end of the supporting saddle, means seam-opening plow, and a heated ironing member disposed adjacent to the work supporting roll and having its forward end closely adjacentto the seam opening plow.

' for guiding the work to hold it against the 8. In'a seam ironing machine, a positively driven work supportmg feed roll, "a seam opening device disposed adjacent to the feed roll, and an electrically heated presser block operatively related to the surface of the feed roll' and adapted to receive the work from the seam opening device to press upon the seam as the work is fed forwardly I by-the positively driven feedroll.

'9. Ina seamironing machine, a frame, a positively driven feed roll supported on the lower part of said frame, a supporting saddle supported from the frame adjacent to the feed roll, said frame being provided with an overhanging arm, and a seam opening plow and a heated presser member supported from said arm in predetermined relation to the supporting saddle and. the feed roll.

lO.'In a seam ironing machine, a positively driven work supporting feed roll, a heated ironing member movably supported in a predetermined relation to said feed roll, and resilient means urging said ironing member into operative relation constructed and arranged to allow the separation of the ironing member and the feed roll to avoid breakage of the parts when an unduly thick piece of workis passed through the machine.

11. In a seam ironing machine, a work supporting feed roll, a seam opening plow movably supported in operative relation to the work supporting roll, a presser block the plow and the block toward the work supporting roll.

12. In a seam ironing maehine,-work supporting means, a pivoted block, adjustable guide members, and a presser block slidably mounted upon the pivoted blockand movable between said guide members toward and away from the work supporting means.

13. In a seam ironing machine, work supporting means, a presser block in operative relation to the work supporting means slidably mounted for movement toward and away therefrom, resilient means urging said block toward the work supporting means, means for limiting the movement of said block toward the work support, and adjustable means for guiding the movement of said block.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this s ecification.

F EORGE BOULTON.

GEORGE J. 'GORSUCH. 

